The Unforeseen Opportunity for Peace in Britain

In the wake of William Pitt's death, there had been a dramatic reshuffling of British politics. The country was no longer governed solely by Pitt's faction of moderate Tories. It now included members of every tendency within UK Parliament - both Whigs and Tories. This government was given a grand title, the Ministry of All the Talents. New Foreign Secretary Charles James Fox hoped to work out some kind of preliminary peace deal in secret. He thought he could then use this to convince the rest of cabinet to change policy. Unfortunately, Napoleon's anger and pride stood in the way.